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Ancient Egyptian

Egyptian hieroglyphs are as striking visually as they are intriguing linguistically. This course is a first step toward reading them — and toward the language behind them — building toward the point where you can recognise real inscriptions from museums and archaeological sites. Beyond monumental inscriptions, ancient Egyptian literature is remarkably broad: myths, stories, religious and philosophical writing, biography, history, poetry, hymns, letters and court records all survive.

Choose how you want to study

Both options cover the same course content — the difference is how and when you learn.

Single session

Pay as you go

Book individual 1-hour sessions with Nigel. No commitment — start whenever you're ready.

  • 1 hour per session
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Delivered via Microsoft Teams

$40 / session

Book a session

Bundle — best value

4-session package

Save with 4 sessions. Use them however you like — one topic or several.

  • 4 × 1-hour sessions
  • Save $20 vs single sessions
  • Delivered via Microsoft Teams

$140 / 4 sessions

Book a bundle

Interested in a group class? Classes of up to 5 students can become available with a minimum of two students — students have access to 8 group classes for the price of 4 one-on-one sessions. Tick the group class option in the booking form to let Nigel know.

What you'll learn

By the end of this course

Read and write hieroglyphic signs

Understand the basics of Middle Egyptian grammar — the classical form of the language

Read short hieroglyphic texts with guidance

Understand the history and development of the Egyptian writing system

Have a foundation for further study in Egyptology or ancient Near Eastern languages

Who this course is for

Is this course right for you?

You're fascinated by ancient Egypt and want to go beyond surface-level knowledge

You want to read hieroglyphics on monuments, papyri and tomb inscriptions

You're interested in ancient Near Eastern history and civilisation

You want to learn to read Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics — a skill few people in the world have

Your teacher

Nigel Dickey

ND

MA — University of Auckland · Seven years at Oxford

Nigel spent seven years attending degree-level classes across every branch of the Indo-European language family. He now teaches from Auckland to students worldwide via Microsoft Teams.

Read Nigel's full story →

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